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Yin Yu found the hair like a struggle against a serpent, the dark frayed curls wrapped around his comb and trapped it again.
The little boy, a fearless brash thing, had been biting his tongue the entire time. Every yank or pull there was a slight jolt but the kid had yet to complain. It was almost funny, he had no problem solving his pain with violence but in this moment he was only enraptured from the time with his Shixiong.
Still, it was unfair to torture the boy. This method, clearly, wasn’t working.
He’d washed the hair once, the curls had been flattened down slightly but only temporarily. Once it was half-dried it’d already sprung up to it’s usual size. It also didn’t seem to help the hair’s health.
He couldn’t deny, the hair was beautiful, it would just take extra time to care for. As well as someone with more expertise.
“Shixiong,” The boy called out, looking up at him. “It’s done?”
He set down the comb, pressed his fingers into his temples, and thought. The women at the village would likely know how to properly care for hair like this.
“It’s done, Quan Yizhen” He said “For today, at least.”
He would talk to them soon, but today the boy needed to return to training. He may be excelling in his cultivation but there was no need to further other him from his peers.
*
He’d been given five different oils, an hour lecture, and some towels that he tried to refuse but was shoved into his arms nonetheless. It was a whirlwind of chatter, where he was less confused but a tad overwhelmed.
He brought the oils back, dabbing them onto his fingers, and checking the consistency. Each one was to keep the hair “healthy and manageable” and were supposed to help with undoing matting and developing his natural hair.
He wasn’t sure what development would help, the hair was extremely full and thick, but he wasn’t one to challenge information on topics he wasn’t certain on.
When he called Quan Yizhen to him again and saw him in front of him he couldn’t stifle a sigh. The boy was covered in mud and bruises- his hair caked in dirt. He wore not an expression of shame or embarrassment, but a serious one of awe. He hadn’t thought one bit of his appearance but rather why his Shixiong called him.
Couldn’t Quan Yizhen stay out of trouble for one day?
He decided it wasn’t healthy to dwell on that, instead washing his hair was of utmost priority.
He submerged his hair in water, the boy looking up with curiosity. He let the water just start to seep before having him sit up and started to anoint him with it. The oil fell onto his brow, rolled down his face, and he watched as his nose scrunched up and he made faces. Yet, he was staying as still as possible.
He repeated the steps, and used his comb only when he found a knot stuck into his hair. However, the curls unfurled from knots and dirt instead poofed into a fuller look.
“You will have to use the oil twice a week, or if you notice it tangling again. Understood?” He told him.
“Yes Shixiong!” He shouted and for the time, Yin Yu didn’t mind how loud he was.
*
The man who was “not” his Shixiong, was gentle with his fevered, wounded body. He was soaking his hair in a small basin of water. His fingers adorned with oil and rubbed it onto his hair. Quan Yizhen found the world around him to be faint, it was harder to focus. He'd fallen into a trap, his usual “brute” strength sapped from him. It left him numb and vulnerable.
He focused on the fingers that were running through his hair. It would pause for a moment, as if the man in the mask was in deep thought, but continue on as if the pause had never happened. He wondered if in his weakened state he was merely seeing things that weren't there.
However, it seemed so deliberate. He was so kind… so familiar.
He was no doubt confused yet he knew this person had to be his Shixiong, there was no way a stranger could replicate what was done for him years ago. This was no coincidence. He’d known since they met in Ghost City, he had an inkling before that they would meet, and now this was proof of the man before him.
He must have hatred running through him yet his actions were only charitable. Bandaging him up, washing him, and now feeding him.
Everything twisted in a bittersweet heart throb.
*
“After Shixiong has treated me so nicely-” Yin Yu closed his eyes, the suds falling down his face, fingers slowly massaging his scalp, and hot spring water cascading down his back. “It is time to return the favor.”
Some could twist Quan Yizhen’s words to be threatening, after all the two had been through, but the man was at ease. He leaned into his warm embrace, breathing in and out, the stress from his body easing away in moments.
If his after life could always be so sweet, he didn’t mind it one bit.
“You can join me,” He offered, fingers now tracing along his back. They were cool against his warmed body- something odd to feel as a ghost who should always be chilled.
“No, Shixiong gets a treat,” Quan Yizen insisted.
A gentle kiss pressed against his neck before his hair was being washed again. He would protest, say it was no bother for him to join, but it was wasn’t it? The bath would become too crowded and even if he enjoyed leaning into him the distance in between was cozy. There was Quan Yizen space. There was Yin Yu space. Together yet separate. Joined by the water, the fingers, the oils, and the suds.
A treat… a lovely, gentle, and relaxing treat.